Big Brother might have disappeared off Channel 4's schedules for good, but tonight the broadcaster will pioneer its new reality TV show – a real-life soap set on the streets of Notting Hill.

Seven Days documents the lives of 18 people in the west London neighbourhood, with eight weekly episodes currently planned and more to follow immediately if the show is deemed a success.

Unlike previous docu-soaps which broadcast weeks or months after filming, Seven Days will feature action from the previous week with viewers encouraged to interact with the show's participants online, offering advice and guidance.

And in contrast to many reality shows the participants may never meet each other, let alone be gathered together in one house. "Normally when we do a programme like this we control everything," says Simon Dickson, Channel 4's deputy head of documentaries. "This is about these people's lives unfolding. They could do anything they want."

On the sunny streets of Notting Hill yesterday some of the show's "cast" were busy at work, including florist Ricky Jackson. Like other participants, Jackson feels there is a distinction between Seven Days and other reality shows. "I wouldn't do Big Brother to be honest," he says. "I've always sort of felt with Big Brother it's something where I'd be bored. I'd hate being trapped. I would hate that feeling of not really knowing what's going on and what people are saying about me."

With Seven Days, however: "It's only me doing what I always do. I'm not doing anything different. I'm not out of my comfort zone. If people don't like me or dislike me for the way I am, I don't really care anyway. Everybody's going to have different opinions of people."

Actor Susanne Guyler, who describes herself as "not a conventional person really, a bit of a free spirit", will be appearing in the docu-soap along with her son, Ben Papantoniou, an estate agent, and his friend Laura Stevens-Ward. But while Ben had actually applied for the last series of Big Brother, Guyler admits she and Stevens-Ward took some persuading to become involved in Seven Days. "We found the decision quite difficult because it is quite intrusive. We did wonder about it.

"We do really hope and believe and trust that it's not going to be a Big Brother-type concept at all … I think they have something much more intelligent, much more interesting."

Dickson says he thinks of the show as a soap opera. "In my mind it's a soap. It's a continuing drama. It's got more in common with EastEnders or Coronation Street than anything else you might see coming out of a documentary team."

Stephen Lambert, chief executive of Studio Lambert, the independent production company that is making Seven Days for Channel 4, also said says soap operas . "EastEnders and Coronation Street are very good at having concurrently running storylines. Although documentary does that sometimes we're doing it more the way that soaps do."

Dickson adds: "If it works we'll probably keep it going rather than bringing it back for a new series. That's really unusual in terms of commissioning."

That could mean Seven Days running all year round, or a further six, eight or 10 episodes being added to its current run of eight shows.

Given television's already London-centric skew, some have asked why Seven Days should focus on a London community – and particularly one that already has such a high profile.

"We weren't set on doing it in London at all," says Lambert. "We looked at Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham and we couldn't find anywhere that had that same cheek-by-jowl feel to it as Notting Hill, where you really do have wealthy homes right next to council estates." "It could have been a chance to go outside London but we didn't find anywhere that had that same mix … In the future maybe we could do a series elsewhere in Britain that was made in a similar style."

• Seven Days begins tonight at 10pm on Channel 4

Hannah Booth, interior designer

Viewers will meet Hannah Booth, 25, who lives and works in Notting Hill, west London, in tonight's episode. Booth works for her mother's interior design business, taking on more responsibility after her father was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. "We had expected a slow transition to me running the company a bit more than she did and I jumped into a deep sea quite quickly. It's been a lot of really, really hard work."

Seven Days is different from other reality TV, the designer says. "The way in which they're doing it – turning it round after a week so it's up to date – I think that's quite exciting and people can relate to the people talking about the same things they're talking about over a glass of wine. It's quite nice hearing what people think about contestants in The X Factor. I'll be interested in what other people are thinking about."

Booth's initial thought was that the programme would be an opportunity to raise awareness of motor neurone disease. "Seven Days was one of those opportunities I think I would have regretted if I didn't give it a shot. It's about my favourite area in the whole world. I live here, I work here and I think being part of something like this – although I might regret saying so – is one of those experiences where you've got to give it a go and see what happens."

The experience has been "fine actually, surprisingly unobtrusive", she says. Her main concern has been to come across as herself. "Whether that's a good person or a bad person I don't know, but as long as I know it was me, then I know at least people are judging the real me. You are kind of there to be judged. And the web aspect of people being able to influence your life, you're asking for it really aren't you?

"It's never going to all be nice – normally you never really know what people think about you, because they don't tell you."